The Game
by KatrinaWithAY
Summary: High school AU, sort of. Dean doesn't understand why Crazy Castiel is so obsessed with him, nor does he like the amount of time that Sam is spending with the guy's little brother.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is the first of twelve chapters of this story. I'll try to update about once a week. Hope you enjoy!**

Dean Winchester strutted through the halls of the high school, fresh off the varsity basketball team's win. So pleased was he with himself that he didn't notice the boy in front of him until their faces were inches away from each other. Dean cringed and sighed. Crazy Castiel — the school freak — was always making life a little more difficult for the jock.

"Hello, Dean," Castiel said in the same creepy, uncaring tone that he always used. His eyes were focused on Dean, who was trying his damnedest to avoid the other boy's gaze.

"Hey, Castiel," Dean said uncomfortably, wishing that he were somewhere else.

"I heard of the win that your teammates and you managed last night," Castiel said, his voice still in a monotone and his eyes not leaving Dean's. "Congratulations."

Dean nodded, unsure of why he was always approached by the crazy kid that everybody else managed to avoid most of the time.

"Thank you," he said eventually. "Look, now's not a good time. I have to get to class." It was a lie, but Dean hoped that it was enough to allow the shorter boy to give him some personal space. Castiel nodded curtly. Dean thought that he might have believed him.

"I understand." The other boy's voice was deathly quiet, shaking Dean's confidence. Castiel stayed rooted to the ground, and Dean stepped around him and got away, not looking back for fear of the kid thinking that he wanted to continue this conversation at a later date.

"Why does he do that?" Dean muttered to himself as he turned a corner and headed to the cafeteria to meet the rest of his teammates. He grinned when he saw them all sitting at a table in the corner. A cafeteria lady was giving them all a nasty look, but said nothing. The rest of the team cheered when Dean walked into view. He had been the starting point guard all season and the MVP of the final game. Two colleges had already approached him with the offer of a full-ride scholarship.

"So you'll never guess what just happened," Dean said as he pulled up a chair and tossed his bag onto the ground beside him. "Crazy Castiel accosted me in the hallway. I swear to god, that kid has no boundaries. His face was literally an inch from mine." Dean shivered at the memory. "God, he gives me the creeps."

"I heard that he thinks he's an angel," Crowley said, taking a bite of his sandwich. "Like, with wings and everything." The whole team laughed boisterously and moved on to topics of conversation that were all more comfortable to talk about.

A few minutes later, Dean's baby brother walked by, having an intense conversation with a boy who, Dean believed, was Crazy Castiel's younger brother. The name escaped him, but Dean didn't care. He did the only thing that his protective instincts would let him.

"Sammy!" he yelled across the room. "Come 'ere for a minute!" Sam said something quietly to the other boy and they parted ways. Dean didn't miss the longing look that Sam's "friend" sent after his little brother.

"What do you want, Dean?" Sam asked rudely when he neared the table.

"Look man, you're a freshman and I'm a senior, which means that I've got to look out for you," Dean said matter-of-factly.

"No you don't," Sam said quietly. Dean ignored him and went on.

"And I'm telling you. That family is bad news. Your friend's older brother is certifiably bat-shit crazy. If you don't get your act together and leave the kid to his own crazy, I'm going to have to intervene."

"Gabe'll get his older brother to intervene too," Sam countered threateningly. Dean chortled and clapped his hand on Sam's shoulder.

"Castiel's harmless. A little creepy, but he can't do anything. Neither can the rest of them, for that matter." Other than Castiel and "Gabe", there were two other members of the family at the school. Anna was a junior and Balthazar a sophomore. "I'm telling you, Sammy. I don't want you to get sucked into their crazy." Sam rolled his eyes and walked away with a huff.

Dean's teammates laughed at Dean and began to joke around about his brother going down the same road as Crazy Castiel. Dean glowered at all of them, but they went on. As they kept going, Dean began to get angry. Nobody poked fun at his little brother—not even his best friends.

"Don't you say that about Sammy," Dean threatened when the insults worsened. The boys put up their hands in a joking manner, but didn't back off. Their jokes got even worse and Dean snapped. He stood up from his seat and flipped his chair over. It clattered across the now-silent cafeteria. Picking up his backpack, he strode out of the room, raising his middle finger for them all to see as he walked away.

_Castiel watched from the corner of the cafeteria, hidden from the basketball players. He watched Dean walk away and carefully followed him. Just because Dean couldn't remember the bond they had shared before Gabriel had developed a crush on the younger Winchester didn't mean that it wasn't still there. Dean was perfectly justified in hating Gabriel. Castiel just wished that he didn't have to hate him as well. _

**Feel free to review! I welcome any and all feedback. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'm sorry the chapters are so short! They get a little longer soon. I hope you like it, and I welcome any feedback you have.**

Dean didn't know where to go. He was always with his teammates. There had never been any reason for him to be mad at them in the past. So now that they were laughing at his brother—for whom Dean was responsible—Dean had nowhere to turn. All the girls in the school were cheap hook-ups, not girlfriends. The only one he would consider talking to would always get angry when he tried to talk to her at school.

So, he decided to try the library. He had heard that it was the place to go when one wanted quiet. A table in the back was empty, so Dean took a chair and sat down. He pulled out his binder and tried to do the chemistry homework that he hadn't gotten around to the night before. He had barely been sitting for two minutes before Crazy Castiel showed up in front of him. Again.

"Dean," he said, causing Dean to jump in surprise. The star point guard sighed. He was frustrated and tired. He didn't want to deal with this.

"What do you want, Castiel?" He was so tired that he didn't care that he was being obviously rude to the other kid. Castiel had brought it on himself by being so god damn persistent in trying to be Dean's friend. How long would it take for him to get the hint that he didn't want to be his friend, or even be seen anywhere near him.

"You look upset. I was wondering why." Dean's eyes widened in anger. Small talk with Crazy Castiel was the last thing that he wanted right now. Why couldn't he just leave him alone?

"Your damn brother is infecting my Sammy. He's doing something. I don't know what it is yet, but I know Sam well enough to know that he doesn't like to hang around guys like your brother."

"And what is my brother like, Dean?" Castiel asked calmly. Dean glared at him. He hated that whole family and wished they would just stay away from his.

"He's a freaking stoner! The way he acts, it's like he's permanently stoned. How do your parents not kill him?" Castiel surveyed Dean carefully.

"My parents would not kill Gabriel for doing drugs. They would reprimand him and punish him severely." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Okay, whatever. Can you just ask your brother to keep his slimy hands of Sam?" Dean rubbed at his eyes tiredly, still glowering at Castiel.

"Yes," Castiel said after a long hesitation. "I will do as you ask and report back to you tomorrow." He walked off, leaving Dean behind to voice his protestations to himself.

_As Castiel walked away from his favourite human, he found himself feeling lighter than he had in months. He was well aware of the fact that it was because of his interaction with Dean. This had been the first time since Gabriel's meddling that Dean hadn't lied to him and disappeared to the cafeteria to be with his "friends". Things were slowly but surely getting better. Maybe by the end of the month, Dean would seek him out instead of the other way around. One could only hope. _


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I felt bad for giving you such a small chapter, so I'm updating this one quickly. This chapter's a little longer than the last two, so enjoy!**

Dean made supper for himself and Sam, as had become the norm since their mother had died and their father had buried himself in his work, staying late every night and going on as many business trips as he possibly could. Dean hadn't seen John Winchester in three weeks, and he couldn't find it in himself to care.

"Sammy!" he called up the stairs when dinner was ready. "Come eat!" A few minutes passed and Sam didn't show up. Dean knew that he had been heard. The walls were thin and Dean was loud— as Sam had the misfortune to rediscover every time that Dean brought a girl home.

Dean went up the stairs to discover why Sam hadn't come down. After knocking at the door to Sammy's room and receiving no answer, he slammed the door open. The only thing that Dean saw was an empty room.

Furious, Dean pulled out his cell phone and called his brother. When there was no answer, Dean started to get worried. He knew that Sam had been home – he had driven him personally. Had the kid snuck out to see Gabriel? Why would he do that? It would be easy enough to see him at school without Dean knowing. But if he was going somewhere Dean would have no reason to care about, why hadn't he said anything?

Dean went back down the stairs and sat the kitchen table. He buried his face in his hands. Had he alienated his brother so much that the kid had run away from home?

"Oh, Sammy," he muttered to himself. "I'm so sorry." Just as he said this, the back door opened and Sam walked through it. Dean's first thought was relief that Sam hadn't left forever. That only stayed for about a second, though, as the emotion switched to anger that his little brother had purposefully snuck out of the house. "God damnit, Sam!" Dean yelled when he was sure that the rage inside him wasn't as momentary as the relief. "Where the hell were you?" In his anger, Dean had stood up without realizing it.

"I was at Jo's, Sam said immediately, as though he had been rehearsing this moment in his head. "I told you." Dean shook his head.

"No, you didn't," he said. "I didn't even see you leave the house." Sam shrugged nonchalantly, his eyes avoiding Dean's.

"I did tell you, Dean. I swear," Sam told him. "Ask Jo if you want. She'll attest to it. Dean narrowed his eyes disbelievingly.

"Okay," he said finally after much thought. "I'll ask Jo. Eat your supper." Sam's eyes widened marginally, which Dean noticed but didn't mention. The elder brother went to his bedroom and turned on Skype. As he had guessed, Jo was online. She always was.

"Jo," Dean said sweetly in the voice he used when he was trying to get information out of people. The girl looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"What do you want, Dean?" she asked rudely. "I'm trying to do homework." Dean smirked.

"And yet you're still on the internet. What a surprise."

"Dean," Jo said threateningly.

"I'm just doing some fact checking," he told her, the smirk still on his face. "Sam told me he was at your place all afternoon. I'm just making sure that's where he really was." Jo's eyes lit up and she pulled out a piece of paper. Clearing her throat, she began to read off of it.

"Sam was at my house this afternoon because he wanted help with his math homework." Dean looked at her blankly. He didn't know what to think. How stupid did Sam think he was?

"He actually told you to say that? What a little bugger! For a genius, he really is a dumb ass. Thanks, Jo."

"No problemo!"

"Sam!" Dean's voice thundered throughout the house as soon as he closed the conversation window. He walked slowly down the stairs to confront his brother. "I know you weren't at Jo's today. How could you possibly think that lie would work on me? You have never needed help with school in your life. If you were going to lie, you should have at least made it convincing. Tell me where you really were. You were with that Gabriel kid, weren't you?" By the time Dean reached the kitchen, Sam was quivering in his seat.

"No," he tried to say. Dean shook his head furiously.

"I don't believe you. You know what? You're grounded until further notice. Go to your room. Give me your phone and your computer." Sam looked at his brother indignantly.

"You can't ground me!" he protested angrily. "You're not Dad!"

"Dad's not here, is he?" Dean yelled, not even trying to control the rage that was spilling out of his mouth. "When was the last time that he was here, anyways?" Sam's silence proved Dean's point for him. "Exactly! I look after you. So, until I tell you otherwise, I don't want you to be anywhere other than this house and the school. And I only want you at the school during school hours." Sam rolled his eyes and grumbled his way up the stairs.

Dean followed him to seize the kid's laptop. Sam handed it over begrudgingly, making a point of turning it off. Dean knew that it was password protected, so he would have no chance at reading Sam's files. The phone had a four-number code that Dean was sure he knew. He would get the information he wanted from that.

After putting Sam's stuff in his own room and locking it, Dean returned to the kitchen and ate his own dinner. He shook his head sadly. He hated his father for having put this weight on Dean's shoulders. It wasn't fair. Not to Dean, and not to Sam. He vaguely wondered if Sam's rebellion stemmed from the lack of a father-figure in his life.

The thought that Dean couldn't be everything to his little brother physically pained him. He buried his face in his hands, wishing that they had a better father and a better life.

_ Castiel wished that Gabriel would just end his silly little game already. It wasn't fair for him to play with Sam like this. He had followed the boy home, knowing that Dean would be upset if something happened to the little squirt._

_ The angel felt bad about spying on them, but he couldn't help himself. Dean was too endearing, even in this stupid world. As he watched the scene unfold in front of his eyes, Castiel cursed Gabriel. It was because of his stupid idea that Dean was upset with Sam. It was because of him that Dean was so upset with himself and with Sam. Castiel put his hand on the window and stared longingly at Dean._

_ "I'll fix this," he whispered lovingly. "I promise."_

_ When Dean looked over at the window, Castiel popped away to wait for the next morning when he would see Dean again. _

**As always, feel free to leave a review! I cherish all of them. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, this one's pretty smutty.**

…

**That's all I really have to say on the matter. Enjoy!**

Dean felt himself drawn to look out the window. He didn't see anything when he turned up his head, but he felt a strange tingling in his chest that he couldn't identify.

When he calmed himself down from his minor breakdown, he picked up Sam's bag and rooted through it. He didn't know what he was looking for, but he had a feeling that he would find something incriminating inside it. Books, schoolwork, pens and pencils and a crumpled up schedule were all items that he found in the bag. Nothing that would make him think that Sam was following in Gabriel's footsteps. That is to say, no drugs.

Dean sighed and went upstairs. He tried to break into Sam's phone to read his messages. Everything he tried heralded no results. When he was locked out for half an hour, Dean gave up. He had had a long day and needed to get some sleep. He lay his head down on his pillow and was asleep within seconds.

That night, he had a dream more vivid than any he'd had in the past. It was more intense than what he had come to expect from dreams. It was also quite erotic.

The dream starred a 30-year-old Castiel, as well as a Dean of the same age. They were sitting together on a bed in a sketchy motel room. Castiel was massaging Dean's shoulders so well that the man was getting a hard-on. Dean was moaning erotically, his hips starting to buck. When he couldn't take it anymore, he turned around and attacked Castiel's mouth with his own.

He moved down to Castiel's neck and kissed it softly. With his mouth doing something so sweet and soft, the fact that his hands were undoing Castiel's zipper and pushing his pants down below his knees was, quite frankly, shocking.

When the pants were off as much as Dean was going to get them without giving up his position on Castiel's jugular, he moved his hands to his lover's tie. He loosened it and flipped it over his shoulder. Then, he started unbuttoning the shirt. There were so many buttons that he gave up halfway down.

His hands returned to below the waist and his mouth dropped a trail of kisses down the neck until he reached Castiel's collarbone. He sucked as hard as he could, occasionally taking a break to lick the angel's chest. His fingers, at a lower position, were playing with the cock that was starting to harden with one hand. The other was pressed hard into Castiel's side.

He ran his fingers around the head, massaging lightly, then harder. When Castiel was hard, Dean started to play with the foreskin. His mouth was still sucking on Castiel's collarbone. He had created a hickey so large that he was sure it wouldn't go away for weeks. With a smile, Dean continued to work at the same spot, wondering how big he would be able to get away with making it.

Dean's fingers deftly moved from the head of the penis to the base, and he began to fondle Castiel's balls. Hearing Castiel moan was such an erotic noise that Dean's movements stopped as he tried to prevent himself from coming.

When he regained control, Dean moved his other hand to Castiel's dick. One hand continued to play with the testicles while the other gripped the shaft hard, and ran his hand up and down. He continued this way until his hand started to cramp.

He then moved his head down, slowly licking from Castiel's collarbone to his pelvis. He stayed there, teasing his lover. Castiel quivered and moaned. It wasn't until his hair was gripped tight in Castiel's sweaty fist that Dean moved his head again.

He enveloped one testicle in his mouth and hollowed out his cheeks. He swished it around in his mouth slowly. Dean stretched his cheeks to try to fit both balls in his mouth at once. It was possible, but very uncomfortable for Dean. Not for Castiel, as he was groaning louder and thrusting harder into Dean's mouth.

Dean let go of the testicle he started with and tried to do the same thing to the second one. When he was positive that both balls had been equally treated, he stuck his tongue out far and licked from the base of Castiel's penis to the very head. He took his mouth away from Castiel for an extended moment before reversing the movement that he had just made.

After licking to the head again, instead of removing his mouth again, he slowly pushed Castiel's organ into his mouth. There, he sucked and bobbed his head up and down, tasting the sweet precum in his mouth.

One of Dean's hands returned to fondling Castiel's balls while he treated his lover. His own body was begging to be touched, but he was determined to focus entirely on Castiel until the angel came. When Castiel reached his hand down and squeezed Dean's own dick, the Hunter groaned intensely, biting down on Castiel.

The one being serviced groaned, and Dean was sure that it was in pain instead of pleasure so he loosened his jaw. Castiel continued to squeeze Dean, making it more and more pleasurable for him. Dean continued to groan and moan, thrusting as he was serviced. He worked hard to continue blowing Castiel until the angel gasped and came right into Dean's mouth.

Castiel's grip tightened so hard around Dean's member that it hurt, but Dean hardly noticed because the sudden taste of Castiel's semen in his mouth was so fucking amazing and he couldn't help but shout, "CAS!" as he came.

Dean awoke with a start.

He was breathing heavily and his boxers were wet. He groaned and slammed his eyes shut. He could remember the dream with perfect clarity. It wasn't the first sex dream that he'd had, but it was sure as hell the clearest. All of the others had been dim at best. With this one, it had felt as though it were actually happening. He knew who he was doing it with.

"Fuck."

He didn't understand how this had happened. Sure, he had had thoughts about boys before, but he had always assumed that it was just that he was so horny that he would do anybody. He had always solved this problem by finding a willing girl and having sex in the janitor's closet.

This time, Dean didn't think that having sex in a closet was going to make the feelings go away. He thought about Castiel and immediately got a raging hard-on. A cold shower wasn't going to cut it. Dean knew that he would have to deal with it.

He tried to think of girls; of models and actresses, but nothing worked. A stray thought of Castiel crossed his mind and it became achingly painful. Dean was so upset with himself for doing it, but he thought of the crazy boy while he masturbated. Afterwards, Dean felt ashamed. The worst part about it was that it was best god damned orgasm he had ever had.

**I hope you enjoyed and—as always—feel free to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

"Hello, Dean,"

Dean jumped in surprise, his forehead hitting the locker that he had just closed. He looked over at the voice which had just addressed him.

"Jesus, Cas," he said exasperatedly. " A little warning would be nice." Castiel stared blankly at him for a few seconds before he walked away. Dean narrowed his eyes, confused. After a few steps, the strange boy turned back to him.

"I'm going to say hello to you now," he said in the same gravelly voice as he always used. "Hello, Dean." The jock rolled his eyes.

"Hi, Cas." Dean began to walk down the hall, expecting Castiel to follow along.

"What did you just call me?" Castiel asked, his voice harbouring a strange tone. Dean froze. He hadn't realized that he had started calling the boy that in his head. Cas. Not Castiel, not Crazy Castiel. Just Cas. He remembered the dream and what he had yelled at the end of it when he... Dean's face flushed from just thinking about it, and he pushed it to the back of his mind. He figured that the dream was where "Cas" came from.

"Cas. It's a nickname. Your name is a real mouthful. Nobody likes a long name." Castiel's face was unreadable, but he was clearly feeling something that he didn't want to show Dean.

"Doesn't a nickname imply that we are friends?" Dean glared at the other boy.

"Look, if you're going to be a dick about it, I take it back. I thought you wanted to be friends? If you didn't, it makes you like a thousand times creepier."

"I got the impression that you didn't want to be my friend," Castiel said stiffly. Dean shrugged, very uncomfortable with the situation. As much as he hated it, he wanted to be Castiel's friend. More than that, but no way in hell would he ever admit it.

"Well, my teammates are being giant douche bags. You're weird and creepy, but you understand how much Sam means to me, so I guess you're cool." Castiel's face shone with something that Dean would have classified as joy. He didn't understand what the big deal was and he rolled his eyes in a good-natured manner. He was secretly very pleased that he had made the kid so happy.

Again, he thought back to the dream and wondered why he had repeatedly thought of the kid as an angel. And once, he had referred to himself as a "Hunter". It didn't make any sense. Dean remembered what Crowley had said the day before. Castiel thinks he's an angel of the Lord. Perhaps that was where it came from?

Dean shook the thought off with a twitch of his lips. He couldn't afford to think about his dream anymore. The thought of having an erection in the middle of the hallway was mortifying. And he knew that thinking about the dream would herald just that result.

"Alright, man. Don't make this into a chick flick moment," Dean said when he realized that it had been too long of a time since either of them said anything. Castiel's face immediately dropped back to the way he always held it, but it was obvious that he was exerting a great amount of effort to keep it that way. Dean held back a laugh.

"Would you like me to report on my progress with Gabriel?" Castiel asked seriously, his expression turning grave. Dean was shocked at the kid's abrupt change in expressions, but nodded because he needed for Sam to stop hanging out with a stoner.

"When I went to Gabriel's room to ask him to stay away from Sam, I saw something which I think will greatly upset you." Dean frowned. "Would you like me to tell you what it is that I saw? Before you answer, know that I cannot imagine that you would want to know it."

"What on Earth is so bad about _your brother_ that I wouldn't want to know it?"

"Bear in mind that Sam was there too, and that he was doing something that—knowing your personality—would drastically change your opinion of him." Dean glared at Castiel.

"Just tell me, already!" Castiel nodded solemnly and inhaled deeply as he prepared to tell his new friend.

"Gabriel and Sam were sitting on his bed together. They were kissing. Quite passionately, I should add. It was uncomfortable for me to be in their presence. You told me that I should let Gabriel know that he should, 'keep his slimy hands off Sam'. I am loathe to tell you that, from my view of the situation, Sam seemed to enjoy having Gabriel's hands on him. I gave your message to Gabriel, although I'm afraid he didn't listen to it."

Dean didn't hear anything of Castiel's speech after he heard that Sam and Gabriel were kissing. He knew that Sam had never had a girlfriend, but he had always assumed it was because he was such a little nerd. He had never even considered that Sam was gay. He didn't know what to make of it.

Then there was the fact that both of the brothers had a thing for the Milton family, apparently. Dean had never thought of himself as gay, either, but apparently he was. Or at least bisexual. Dean needed a few hours to think about the extremely strange new developments in his life.

"Cas, can you excuse me? I need to go home." Castiel looked sad, but nodded.

"I understand your despair. But I think you should know that I searched Gabriel's room this morning. I could not find any drugs. My belief is that Gabriel is simply being a moody teenager. Since he and Sam started to spend time together, I have noticed a significant change in his mood. He has been a lot happier."

Dean made a small noise in the back of his throat. He didn't even know what the noise was to mean. He turned away from the other boy who, he supposed, was his friend now. He hoped that the thoughts he was having about Cas would go away. He didn't want to be put in an embarrassing situation all because he couldn't even think about the other boy without wanting to unceremoniously jump his bones.

Back at home, he pulled Sam's phone out of it's hiding place and typed in the four numbers that he now knew must be Sam's code. 4223. GABE. Tears fell down Dean's face as the phone unlocked. He wasn't upset that Sam was gay. Having had the whole drive home to think about it, he knew that it was the truth. He was upset that Sam hadn't told him, and that his boyfriend was the brother of the craziest person in the school. He was upset that he was now apparently friends with—and had had a wet dream about—that same crazy kid.

Crazy Castiel. A nickname that he now despised himself for having coined. He was much fonder of the one that he had discovered in his dream the night before: Cas. It fit the kid well, Dean thought.

Dean's finger hovered over Sam's message button. He could read his brother's texts to his boyfriend with just one small motion. After a long hesitation, Dean locked the phone again. Sam would hate him if he read his messages and Dean wasn't sure that he wanted to read what Sam had been saying. He was afraid that what he would find would make him think differently of his little brother, which wasn't something that he wanted to see.

_Castiel didn't see Dean after he left the school in the morning. He didn't know what the human would do in this reality, and the angel was afraid. In their real world, Dean would have poked fun at his brother for a while, but wouldn't have cared at all. He might have kept the information in his back pocket if ever he needed to make a joke at the expense of Sam, but he never would have been upset. _

_ In this world, Castiel didn't know how Dean would use this information. He was so different. He wasn't a Hunter. He and Sam hadn't developed that unadulterated trust that made them such a good team; such a true family. Sure, Dean looked after Sam, but they had their own lives. The thought of Dean hating Sam for something that Gabriel was doing sickened Castiel. He prayed that Dean would see the light and just let it be. _

**A/N: Some of you have been asking questions about what Castiel is. I hope that this answered them for you. **

**I love all of your reviews, so keep 'em coming!**


	6. Chapter 6

Dean thought about his predicament all day. After what Cas had said, he couldn't find it in himself to hate Gabriel. He couldn't even understand what it was about that kid that had made Dean hate him in the first place.

It eventually occurred to him that he didn't like the fact that his little brother was slipping away from him. It made him feel lost, purposeless.

At the end of the day, Dean returned to the school to pick Sam up. He met him at the front of the school like he always did. He didn't want Sam to know that he skipped a whole day of school because he couldn't handle the fact that Sam had a boyfriend. It was irrational for him to feel as strongly as he did about the situation.

The younger brother said nothing to the elder when he showed up in the foyer. The entire car ride was utterly silent. When they arrived at their home, Sam tried to escape immediately to his bedroom.

"Sammy, wait," Dean said sadly, weakly putting up a hand that would do nothing to stop the other. Sam turned around and glared at his brother.

"What do you want, Dean? Do you want to know if I talked to Gabe at school today? I did. You can't stop me. He's my friend. You can't dictate who I hang out with." Dean's heart broke at the tone in his brother's voice. Sam really hated him. He was furious with him.

"Oh, Sammy," Dean said morosely. "Why can't you just be honest with me? You should have talked to me before. I've done everything for you. Why couldn't you just trust me?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Dean?" Sam asked angrily.

"I spent hours trying to figure out the password to your phone. I figured it out today after Castiel told me what he saw yesterday while you were at their house." Sam's eyes widened and his face reddened horribly. He looked terrified. "I don't care, Sammy," Dean implored him, stepping closer to his brother and putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Okay, see, you're giving me mixed signals here," Sam said. "Yesterday you were telling me that you didn't want me to even talk to him. You were furious that I was even friends with him! What changed?" Dean shook his head sadly.

"I was afraid of losing you. But now I've come to terms with the fact that you're growing up." Sam didn't look convinced.

"Thanks, I guess," he said slowly.

"Look, I hate being mad at you, Sammy, and I hate you being mad at me even more. I was wrong to be so anal about you being friends with this guy. I want to meet him. Bring him over for supper tomorrow."

Sam's face was an open book for Dean to read. He was confused and distrustful. Dean prepared himself to do anything to convince Sam that he really meant what he was saying. But Sam's face softened. He was starting to believe. That was what Dean loved so much about his brother. He was so trusting and caring. He hated fighting with Dean just as much as Dean did.

"You're really okay with this?" Dean nodded animatedly.

"I've had a reawakening," he explained. "It's complicated and I'm still trying to figure it out. But I'm in your corner." Sam raised his eyebrows.

"And apparently, you're turning into a girl. Your 'no chick-flick moments' rule has been broken by its instigator." Dean flipped Sam off and turned away.

"Shut up," he said sullenly before adding, "Bitch," in a slightly happier tone.

"Jerk," Sam replied. The smile on his face after their bantering told Dean that they were good again. One problem down. So many more to go.

"Can I have my computer and my phone back now? If you're cool with Gabe and me, then I don't think I should be grounded anymore." Dean nodded and pursed his lips. He opened his mouth to speak, but Sam cut in front of him, his eyes narrowed. "Did you say that you were talking to Castiel about Gabe and me?" Dean blushed furiously at the mention of Castiel's name. He couldn't tell Sam about the dream he'd had, and the real reasoning behind his "reawakening", so he told him the abridged version of the story.

"He had this weird thing for me, so he followed me to the library and offered to help. I thought if Gabe's brother was against your friendship as well, you might reconsider." Dean frowned. "And today when he reported back to me, I think we became friends. It was a very strange experience." Sam laughed.

"Well, good for you, I guess. Although you are being very hypocritical." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Whatever, dude. I was being irrational. Let it be." Sam stayed silent, but Dean caught the slight smirk on his face. He was never going to hear the end of it.

_ Castiel followed the brothers home, staying hidden so as not to scare them. As he listened to them talk, he thought back to Dean's accusations in the real world: "You know who spies on people, Cas? Spies!"_

_ He felt bad for intruding on their privacy, but he had to know. He couldn't wait until the next day to find out if Dean would be okay with what he had learned about Sam._

_ Castiel was very pleased with everything that he heard. Dean was behaving in a way that reminded Castiel so much of the way he was in their reality that he could barely contain all the love he felt towards the man. It was so intense that he felt as though the love was filling up completely and then pouring over the sides because there was no way that he could contain any more of it._

_ With a slight nod, more to himself than anything, Castiel left the Winchester home. He would see Dean tomorrow. And maybe Gabriel would tire of his game soon, and everything would go back to normal. He could only hope._


	7. Chapter 7

At school the next morning, Dean was met at his locker by Crowley, Alistair and Azazel. He didn't feel happy to see them, as he had been assuming he would. He couldn't tell them what had happened with Sam, because they were all extremely homophobic. He couldn't tell them about what he felt towards Castiel. He couldn't tell them anything. He didn't really know what he saw in them in the first place, but he decided that he would try to make it work for the rest of the year. After high school, he would never have to see them again.

"You missed a very interesting day, yesterday," Alistair leered. Dean's immediately felt extremely nervous. He was positive that it had to be something to do with Sam. Everything that was happening recently seemed to be revolving around his little brother.

"Oh yeah?" Dean asked, trying to at least appear calm to his friends. "What happened?"

"Your little brother was with that Milton kid again." Dean nodded slowly.

"So I heard." He was biting down on his tongue as hard as he could to prevent himself from saying what he really wanted to: that they were being huge jackasses and that they were so ignorant that they couldn't see that there was nothing wrong with Sam or Gabriel.

"What are you doing about it? You've got to whip it out the little fag!" Dean knew that this was exactly Azazel's character, but still couldn't believe what had just come out of the young man's mouth.

He lost control.

He gathered all of his strength and punched the bigger guy as hard he could in the face. With one hit, the taller kid was bleeding profusely. His eyes widened in rage and he swung back to retaliate. Dean dodged it and punched Azazel in the stomach, winding him.

"You should know better than to insult my brother in front of me," Dean said viciously. "You _never_ use that word when referring to my brother." He punched Azazel again in the stomach. The boy was hacking wretchedly. Dean didn't care. He went for the face again. And again.

Again and again, Dean punched the larger boy square on the nose. He was so focused on Azazel that he didn't notice Alistair behind him until he felt the dry, crusty hands on his shoulders, turning him around and punching him in the nose.

Dean felt warm blood trickling down his face, a few drops slipping through his lips. He spat at the ground to rid his mouth of the blood and began punching Alistair, alternating both hands like he had learned from watching Bruce Lee movies with Sam. When Alistair tried to grab Dean's shoulders again, Dean brought his knee up with great force, hitting the other boy where it hurt.

The brawl quickly became two on one. Alistair and Azazel teamed up against Dean, hitting him so hard that he was sure his nose was broken and he was likely missing a few teeth. They had given him a black eye that was so swollen Dean couldn't see out of it.

The fight seemed to go on forever, but it was interrupted by the principal running down the hall, screaming at the three of them. He split them up and they were escorted into different classrooms.

Dean was dragged to the office, where they tried to clean him up. Dean was wincing the whole time but trying not to let his pain show. He was too macho for that.

"Mr. Winchester, you have to tell me what happened," the principal said from the corner of the room, watching him carefully. "I have learned not to believe a word of what those three idjits say, and I want the whole story." Dean tried to glare at him, but he was in so much pain that he gave up after a few seconds.

"They were insulting my brother, Mr. Singer," Dean said sullenly. "They called him a—" Dean broke off to compose himself. He didn't want his tongue to be dirtied with the word that they had used. "A fag," he finished after a long pause. The principal looked furious.

"And then they punched you?" he asked. Dean shook his head.

"I punched them. No one insults Sammy and gets away with it." The principal pursed his lips. He looked like he was having a difficult time deciding what the right course of action was.

"Dean," he said seriously, locking eyes with him. "The punishment for fighting in this school is a five-day suspension. It's policy. But… I understand why you did it. I hate to say it, but I would have done the exact same thing if I had been in your position." Dean nodded.

"But you still have to punish me, don't you?" he asked bitterly. Mr. Singer nodded.

"What I'm going to do is call your parents and have a meeting with them to discuss your behaviour. I will let them act as they see fit. You're such a good student that I don't want you to lose any chances that you might have at post-secondary education because of this."

Dean nodded, his eyes welling up. He had never had much to do with the principal, but he was such a kind man. He went out of his way to help Dean out, and Dean really appreciated it.

"Thank you," he choked out. Mr. Singer smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm going to send you to the hospital so you can get cleaned up."

"Can I have a friend drive me so I can get home? My dad's out of town right now." The principal looked at Dean sadly.

"Of course," he said kindly. The look in his eyes was that of a father looking down at his child. Dean felt safe in the office with the principal. "Who do you have in mind?" Dean didn't even have to think about the answer. It came as naturally as counting to three.

"Castiel Milton."

_Castiel was confused when he was called down the office, and alarmed when he saw Dean sitting in a chair, his face bloody and beaten. _

_ "What happened?" he demanded. As Dean explained the situation to him, Castiel couldn't help but feel a sense of intense pride in his human. He had done exactly what Castiel wished he would do. _

_ "Will you drive me to the hospital?" Dean asked, looking like a kicked puppy. Castiel smiled at him and nodded._

_ "Of course, Dean," he said. He almost added, "I would do anything for you," but knew that Dean would find it unnerving and would likely cause him to grow distant because of it._


	8. Chapter 8

Dean was led out of the small room by the doctor and Castiel. His mind was fuzzy from being doped up on pain meds. His nose had been cracked, painfully, back into place and he had gotten twelve stitches around his eye. Dean's eye was so swollen that Castiel had feared the doctor would be unable to find where to stitch. The doctor made quick work of it, assuaging the teenager's fears.

"Make sure he doesn't drive until the meds have worn off," the doctor instructed Castiel as he led them into the lobby. "I'm prescribing him T-3's for the pain. I'm also going to recommend that he takes a few days off of school." Castiel nodded, grabbing Dean's shoulder gently as the other boy began to sway dangerously. "I understand that he takes care of his little brother, but if someone would take on that responsibility for a few days, it would help Dean to heal faster."

"I understand," Castiel said gravely. I will take care of them."

After signing the release papers and giving Dean's father's insurance information to the hospital, Dean and Castiel left. It took a great deal of effort on Castiel's part to get Dean into the back seat of his car. The boy was so dopey that he was ready to sleep in the middle of the parking lot.

"Don't forget to pick up Sammy," Dean slurred. "Gabe is coming over for supper tonight so I can meet him. I want to like him. He's your brother and he's Sammy's boyfriend. If I don't like him, everybody I love will hate me." Dean's face scrunched up and he started to cry.

"I promise that I won't hate you if you don't like Gabriel," Castiel said, steadfastly ignoring the fact that Dean inadvertently grouped him in with the people that he loved. "And I'm sure that Sam will not either." Dean wiped his eyes and sniffled.

"Are you sure?" Castiel smiled in the rear view mirror and nodded.

"I'm positive. But school's not over for a couple hours. It's only lunch right now. I'm going to take you home so you can sleep, and I'll pick them up after school."

"Don't want to go home," Dean slurred, shaking his head. "It's boring there. Take me somewhere interesting." Castiel didn't know what to say. He knew that getting Dean home was the best course of action considering his condition, but he couldn't help but feel like he might never get another chance with the boy after the drugs wore off.

"Given your state, I can't take you anywhere interesting. It would be too dangerous. You might wander off and hurt yourself even more. But why don't I take you to my house and you can nap there?" Dean nodded immediately, his face breaking into a large grin.

Castiel didn't necessarily know how to drive a car. He was faking his way through it, but he thought he was doing fairly well. It didn't seem like Dean had too much of a problem with it. Of course, that could have been because he was too busy staring out the window in wonderment of the trees passing by quickly.

Once at the Milton residence, Castiel was forced to carry Dean inside, because he had fallen asleep during the very short car ride. With his wiry frame, Castiel struggled to lift the other boy, but he managed to get him inside the house. As soon as he was placed on the couch, Dean woke up. Castiel was already getting him blankets to cover him up, but turned to look his way when he heard the sweet suckling noise that came out of Dean.

"I'm sorry I woke you," Castiel said immediately. "You were very heavy and I couldn't get a good grip on you. Go back to sleep. You need to sleep off those drugs that the doctor gave you." Dean gave him a sly smile.

"I can think of many things that I would rather be doing than sleeping." The way that he said it made Castiel wonder if the drugs had, in fact, wore off because he sounded so sober. But then he giggled like a two-year old and Castiel realized that he had been mistaken. He covered his friend in a large blanket and tucked in the corners.

"Go back to sleep, Dean," Castiel said in a motherly way. "If you still feel like it when the drugs wear off, we can talk about it. Dean shook his head.

"Not good enough," he said in a husky voice and pulled Castiel by the collar of his shirt close to him. "I need you now." Their faces were inches apart. Castiel felt his stomach squirm in excitement, but his head knew better than to indulge Dean in this fantasy. He was drugged and vulnerable. But Dean closed the gap and kissed Castiel like he had been yearning for since being thrust into this strange universe.

His brain told him to stop it, to stop the kiss; but his body told him that he was doing nothing wrong. Dean wanted this and Castiel wanted it so, so badly. It was a war between mind and body until finally his body overpowered his mind and Castiel was caught in a lip lock with Dean that would mean nothing to the boy when the drugs wore off.

When Castiel realized this, he broke away.

"We can't be doing this," he said sadly, a tear dripping down his cheek. His clothes were unkempt and his lips swollen from Dean sucking on them with as much fervour as he had been using. "I'm sorry, but I want you to remember." He shot Dean one last look before sweeping out of the room, where he would be away from temptation.

_Dean stared after Cas as he vanished from his sight. _What did I do wrong, _he wondered. Even in his drugged state, he knew that he and Castiel shared a connection. If Castiel didn't want anything to happen between them, Dean would leave him be. But if there as even the smallest chance that they could be together, Dean would never give up._

_ He had felt the way that Castiel kissed him. He had so much passion welled up beneath his uncaring persona, and Dean was determined to dig up that passion and let it come out with nothing held back. _

_ "I will find my way into your heart," he whispered, staring longingly at the archway that Castiel had fled through. "I don't care how long it takes. I will do it or die trying." A tear slipped down his cheek and he closed his eyes. "Don't give up on me now."_

**This is definitely a weaker chapter, but the next one should be better. I'll try to update soon.**


	9. Chapter 9

**I got so many amazing reviews on the last chapter, so I thought I'd update a little sooner than I otherwise would have. I was going to post this yesterday, but I got busy. Hope you enjoy it!**

When Dean woke up a few hours later, his friend was shaking his shoulder gently.

"You have to wake up," Castiel was telling him. "It's time to go pick Sam and Gabriel up." Dean groaned and rubbed at his eyes, wincing at the contact with his stitches. His eye was still swollen, but Castiel didn't know how to make it go down, so he ignored it as best he could. He did keep eying it concernedly, but tried not to let Dean notice. "How are you feeling?" he asked maternally.

"I feel like my face was run over by a semi truck," Dean said sourly. Castiel smiled. The drugs were wearing off. There was still a slight slur to Dean's voice, but it was nothing compared to the way that it was before.

"Your drugs are wearing off. Do you want to take some more? It would help with the pain." Dean shook his head.

"I can deal with the pain. I need to meet Gabriel with a clear head. I'm afraid that I'll get a false impression if I meet him while I'm hopped up on morphine." Castiel nodded but frowned. He didn't think that Dean was making a very smart decision, but he wouldn't say anything for fear of Dean leaving him.

"Of course. Let's go. School ends in a few minutes and Sam will be anxious if you're not there." He offered his arm out for support and lifted Dean off the couch.

Dean was able to walk to the car on his own, to Castiel's obvious relief. Dean couldn't pin his finger on why Castiel was so relieved about this fact. He assumed that it was because he didn't want him to be a bother for the rest of the evening. The Winchester sat shotgun next to Castiel—despite much argument to the alternative on Castiel's part—and texted Sam to meet him outside of the school instead of in the front foyer like usual.

Castiel pulled up at the school right at three forty-five, but Dean knew Sam well enough that he would take a few minutes to socialize before heading to the car. Dean looked over at Castiel, opened his mouth to say something, then shut it again immediately looking away. A few minutes of awkward silence passed before Sam's head appeared beside Dean's in the side window. Dean was looking away when it popped up, but when he noticed, he jumped and swore loudly.

"Jesus, Sammy!" he said angrily. "Why'd you have to sneak up on me like that?" Sam ignored the question and asked one of his own.

"What the hell happened to you, Dean?" the younger of the brothers demanded. "I tried to find you at lunch to see if it was still okay if Gabriel came over tonight and you weren't anywhere! I tried to text you, but the message couldn't send! I was worried sick and now you're here but your face looks like you got run over by a semi truck!" Dean glanced over at Castiel and nodded slightly. The driver shook his head with a small smile. He and Sam were very similar. In more ways than either Cas, or even Sam knew. Dean looked back at his brother's face and knew that it wasn't the time for screwing around.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, Sam," Dean said in a placating tone, trying to calm his brother down. "My phone was off most of the day because I was at the hospital." This didn't seem to help Sam's mood. In fact, it made him even more worried.

"Why the hell were you at the hospital?" the younger brother demanded.

"I got into a fight, it turned into two on one and I had to get my face stitched up." Dean was sheepish, but still a little out of it, so the apologetic smile he gave his brother looked more like a sadistic one. Sam glared at him furiously.

"You're an idiot. Thank you, though," he turned his attention to Castiel, "for driving Dean around today, because I assume that's what you did."

"It was no trouble," the driver said meekly, looking away from Sam. Dean gave him a curious look. Castiel was acting strangely with Sam and Gabriel around. But after a few moments with nothing to show for his questioning gaze, Dean ignored it.

No further words were exchanged. The two newcomers entered the vehicle and Castiel drove them all back to the Winchester residence. When there, he watched carefully to make sure that Dean made it into the house safely and entered behind the other three.

"Sam, can you guys do your own thing until supper?" Dean asked, wincing as he felt the pain more sharply than he had before. "I think I need to rest for a bit before I'm ready to properly meet your boyfriend.: Sam nodded softly.

"Do you want us to take care of supper? We can order in or make it ourselves if you don't want to spend the money." Dean shook his head stubbornly.

"You don't have to do that. You're on a date. I can make supper." Dean was fully prepared to elaborate further, but Sam interrupted him with a death glare.

"You were at the hospital today!" he exclaimed. "You're in pain! You should not have to cater to me. Rest, you idiot!" Dean tried to protest but Sam cut across him. "I know that you've made it your life's mission to take care of me, but in doing so you've forgotten to take care of yourself. Look at yourself, Dean! You're seriously messed up! Just relax. Gabe and I will make supper. It'll be fun, we'll make it part of the date."

Dean looked unconvinced.

"Come on, Dean," Sam begged. "I'm fifteen. I'm old enough to make one meal. I've done it before, even!"

The older brother sighed and acquiesced.

"Fine," he said begrudgingly. Sam patted his shoulder and led him to the living room.

"Get some rest and we'll let you know when supper's ready." Dean staggered to the couch and fell onto it. Castiel followed him and gently covered him with a blanket

"What are you still doing here?" Dean asked, his eyes shut. He was aware that the question sounded harsh, but he was too tired to give a shit about making others feel good.

"How do you mean?" Castiel asked. His voice sounded so angelic that Dean wanted to wrap him up in a tight embrace and never let go. His own personal angel, as he was beginning to think of him.

"You've driven me home. You've taken care of me all day. Why don't you go home and have some time to yourself? You certainly deserve it." Castiel looked down at Dean's still body and frowned. He looked sad, which made Dean sad. He hadn't meant to make Castiel upset. All he had wanted was to let Castiel know how much he appreciated what he had done.

"Do you want me to leave?" one asked the other. He sounded hurt to Dean, who wanted nothing more than to deny the question and hold him in his arms forever. It was physically painful for him to keep wishing this, but never would he admit to anyone other than himself that he could be anything other than straight so he was fated to stay in this realm of never-ending pain forever.

"I never said that," Dean said, trying to get across the way he was feeling, but his voice portraying the pain that his body was going through instead of that of his heart and soul.

"Then I will stay. I have a vested interest in keeping you safe." Dean frowned. His eyes stayed safely shut.

"Why?"

"I'm sure it will become clear soon enough. For now, I'd prefer not to say." Dean shrugged.

"Whatever. You're obviously still just as crazy as ever. Tell Sam and Gabriel that you're staying so they make enough food…" Dean trailed off as he fell into a deep slumber.

_ "I will," Castiel promised, his voice no more than a whisper. He looked longingly at Dean's peaceful expression. He never got to see him like this in the real world. Even in sleep, the hunter was burdened with the task of saving the whole world. All the time. He never got a break. Castiel couldn't see how it was fair. It was one of the things that he had wanted to talk to the Father about when he found him, even though he had given up trying. _


	10. Chapter 10

Dean was awoken by Castiel shaking his shoulder softly. Again. He groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"Dinner is ready," Castiel told him in the same terse tone as always. "Sam and Gabriel have made a dish called 'hamburger helper'. I am not sure what it consists of, for there are no hamburger buns nor condiments on the table. I have not yet gotten the chance to take a closer look, but I have been assured that it is a perfectly acceptable meal." Dean raised an eyebrow at his friend.

"Hamburger Helper. How do you not know what Hamburger Helper is?"

"I am not prone to watching television, nor listening to the radio, so I do not see advertisements for anything of the sort." Dean pursed his lips.

"You are a strange one." He sat upright on the couch and stretched his arms above his head, his muscles flexing as he did so. He thought he saw Castiel's pupils dilate as he did so, but the other boy looked away before Dean got a chance to take a closer look.

Dean stood up, his body still aching from the fight earlier. He had a splitting headache and he could feel his lip throbbing. Despite all the pain, he powered through, determined not to let his weakness show, and he led Castiel to the kitchen.

"Hey, Dean!" Sam said when the older Winchester walked into the room. "Feeling any better?" Dean shrugged.

"I guess. The drugs have worn off, but my nose hurts like a bitch," Dean lied through his teeth. He couldn't let Sam know the truth. Sam laughed quietly, looking at Dean suspiciously and sadly, as though he could see right through the lies.

"Gabe and Castiel have never had Hamburger Helper before, did you know that? They've never even heard of it!" Sam gracefully let the topic of Dean's health be swept underneath the rug. And he did seem genuinely shocked at this news.

"So I've heard," Dean said quietly, taking his seat at the table. "Which do we have today?"

"Cheeseburger Macaroni." The smug look on Sam's face showed how pleased he was with himself. Dean was thrilled by the choice of meals. It was his favourite flavour that they were eating. Sam knew him so well. It warmed the cockles of his heart to have a brother who cared so deeply for him.

"Thanks, Sam," Dean said gruffly, not wanting to show his ecstasy at the situation, and wanting to be appreciative of what his brother had done for him.

The two pairs of brothers started eating. Castiel and Gabriel were both equally surprised and pleased at what they were tasting. Castiel was, in fact, having a difficult time stopping himself from eating. By the time Dean was done his second serving, Castiel was on his fourth. Sam noticed Castiel's fervour and addressed it with amusement.

"Good thing we made two boxes," he said. Dean rolled his eyes and Castiel continued to devour his plate. Sam glowered at the two of them for ignoring him and Gabriel patted his thigh comfortingly, planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

Dean looked up at the two of them.

"I forgot that you were here," he said thoughtfully. "I was supposed to question you today, make sure that you weren't going to pull any funny business with Sammy." He narrowed his eyes and shrugged. "I don't even know right now, man. You seem like a good enough guy. I'll let you be. But when I'm less groggy, I expect you to answer any and all questions that I put to you." Gabriel nodded, his eyes hiding any emotion that he might be feeling. "Also, if you do anything to Sammy, I will personally hunt you down and kill you, I don't care that your brother is my friend."

"I understand completely," Gabriel said. His voice was so calm, it made Dean wonder if he had any real emotions at all. This bothered Dean. The idea of his little brother dating someone who could never reciprocate his feelings was upsetting. He knew that he would have to keep an eye on Gabriel to make sure that his lack of emotion was just because he was trying to be strong in front of the older brother.

The sound of the side door opening made Dean whip his head around to find the intruder. He lifted himself out of the chair and prepared to do whatever he needed to keep unwanted visitors out of his home. To his relief, it was only his father. He wouldn't have to be doing any more fighting that day.

It took a moment, but when he realized that it was his father that who had walked through the door, his heart dropped. He wouldn't have been home except that the school had called him to inform him of the fight that Dean had been in earlier that day. He wouldn't have come home because of that call unless he was very angry. There was, of course, a small chance that he was done his trip anyway and the timing was merely coincidental, but Dean doubted it. Luck tended not to be on his side when it came to issues with his father.

"Hey, Dad," Dean said nervously, his body trembling with fear and anticipation of how his father was going to react to the call he had received earlier in the day.

"Dean Jonathan Winchester." The older man's voice was deathly quiet, yet the whole room was hanging on to every word that he said. "I received a call from your school this morning, telling me that you were in a fight with two other students, and that you were told to go to the hospital because of it." Dean stared at his father, unsure if he was supposed to say anything here or wait for more angry words to be spewed out. "What the hell were you doing fighting? You know perfectly well that fighting can cause suspension, which will go on your permanent record, which will ruin any slim chance you have at getting into a good school!"

Dean cowered away from his father's wrath.

"I'm sorry, Dad!" he said pitifully. "They were making fun of Sam. I couldn't let it slide." John Winchester's jaw slid to one side, a sure sign of his anger.

"Kids make fun of each other all the time. Especially in high school. Just shake your head and walk away. _You don't start a fight_!" Dean hung his head in shame.

"The things they were saying, though… I couldn't just let it slide. Not when they were directed towards Sammy!" Dean tried to get his father to understand, but he wasn't sure how much he was getting through to the tough, isolated old man.

"What kinds of things were they saying?" John asked harshly. He obviously didn't think that Dean had a good argument.

"They… he… they were calling him a f… a fag."

John's face turned a dark purple, like he had forgotten to breathe. His fists were clenched so tightly, Dean was half-expecting to see blood dripping down from them. There was a prolonged silence while the room took in what Dean said. He hadn't told Sam and Gabriel why he had gotten into a fight. Castiel knew that the others had been picking at Dean's feelings for Sam, but he hadn't known what they had called him.

"They WHAT?" John demanded. "What are schools teaching kids these days? That is completely inappropriate language! No one should be using that word at all!" Dean had always hated it when his father yelled. It was a newly terrifying experience every time it happened. John Winchester had a lot of pent up rage that he very rarely got off his chest. When he did, though, it was something akin to a bomb going off: getting people out of harm's way is the top priority.

Dean backed up, preparing to protect his brother and the Miltons while his father raged. He went on a tangent for a few minutes, getting louder and making less sense as he went on about how he was going to kill the kids who had called his son such a word. Finally, he turned his attention back to Dean.

"Why were they calling him that?" he demanded of his eldest son. Even though John hated the word that Dean's old teammates had used, he was not accommodating to those of a different sexual orientation than himself. He couldn't wrap his head around it, having been raised in a home where things of that nature were something disgusting, something to be ashamed of.

Dean glanced at Sam, who looked terrified. He didn't know which one of them should respond. It was Sam's news to bring to their father, but Dean was the one that it was being demanded of. Dean was the one who was in trouble, not Sam. He decided to go with a safe route, and phrase it in a way that John wouldn't think anything of it, but that Sammy could tack on his own twist to the end of the tale.

"Sammy was hanging around a lot with a kid that isn't very popular at school. A lot of people didn't like it, and they made unflattering assumptions." John nodded and turned his attention to Sam.

"This boy. Is this him?" He pointed at Gabriel and Sam nodded. "What's your name?"

"Gabriel," was the cocky response. Dean rolled his eyes. The boy was still not showing any sign of emotional attachment or capability.

"Gabriel. What is your relationship with my son?" Dean saw Gabriel glance at Sam, and Sam nod in response. Gabriel inhaled deeply, looking nervous for the first time that evening.

"He's my boyfriend."

Dean could hear John's teeth grinding in his mouth. Sam was still holding his breath nervously. John's eyes were dangerously icy. Dean's stomach dropped when he saw his father's attention turn to Castiel.

"You. What's your name?"

"Castiel." The older Milton was much more calm. Dean couldn't explain how the other boy was so calm all the time.

"Why are you here? What is your relationship with my sons?"

"I am a friend of Dean's. I drove him to the hospital today so he could be stitched up after the fight. I wanted to make sure that he wouldn't hurt himself or break anything, because the doctors gave him some pretty strong pain medication and I wasn't sure how long it would last." John seemed satisfied with this answer, but still irate.

"I would greatly appreciate it if the two of you would get out of my house. Castiel, thank you for helping Dean. He doesn't deserve your help, after the mess that he's made today, but thank you anyway. Gabriel, I would be happy to never see you again. I'd like you to kindly stay away from my son, as well."

Gabriel smirked as he left the room, any momentary show of emotion gone, blowing a kiss to Sam when John's back was turned. Castiel turned around in the doorway and met Dean's eyes. They seemed to maintain eye-contact forever, but when they broke it, only a moment had passed.

"That's not going to work," Dean warned his father.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Warning Gabriel to stay away from Sam. I tried. It didn't work. It only succeeded in making Sam hate me." John shrugged.

"I can at least try. Sam hates me already, so what's the worst that could happen, right? Dean, go to your room. Or out. I don't care. I need to speak with Sam alone." Dean nodded, obeying his father like the good son he strove to be. All the yelling and stress about the Sam and Gabriel situation had made his headache worse. . He normally would have gone out, but with all the pain he was experiencing, he decided to simply go to his room.

Before leaving, he looked at Sam and gave him a sympathetic expression. He would talk to the kid later and let him know that he thought John was being completely unreasonable. If John didn't like Sam and Gabriel going out, then screw him. Dean would protect his little brother from anything. Even their father. That's what brothers were for, anyway.

_ Castiel walked out of the Winchester's residence after having a profound moment with Dean. _

_ "What's wrong with you?" he demanded of his brother after they appeared back in their home. "You're making this stupid game of yours so hard! If you want Sam, don't put so many obstacles in your way. John was unnecessary. So was Dean's disapproval."_

_ "Well that would be no fun, then, would it? I've got to make it at least a little bit interesting! Besides, John doesn't scare me. Sam's smart enough to know that his father's word is not law. He can deal. Just be thankful that I didn't make things harder for you." Castiel rolled his eyes._

_ "Just end this stupid game already. I'm sick of it. I want my own Dean back. He knows who I am and he's better, stronger. This one is too inexperienced. He doesn't love me the way that I love him. He can't. He doesn't understand the connection that we have." _

_ "Stop your bellyaching!" Gabriel complained. "The kid's obviously in love with you. Just drop a few hints and the money's in the bag." Castiel sighed._

_ "That's not what I was trying to say." Gabriel just laughed and curled up in his bed, drifting off into a peaceful slumber until the next day. _

_ Castiel hated his brother at that moment. Not only had he made it more difficult for Sam, but he had made it impossible for Dean. Castiel knew that everything that had transpired that day would be blamed on Dean, if only because he was the elder child. It wasn't fair. He wanted to comfort Dean, to tell him that everything would be okay, but he couldn't because Dean didn't trust him here the same way he did in reality._

_ More than anything, Castiel wanted his real Dean back. He wanted to hold him tight and whisper sweet nothings into his ear until the human fell asleep and the angel was left to guard over him in his sleep. He was Dean's guardian angel, and there was nothing in the universe that could stop him from fulfilling that most sacred of duties. _

**Wow! It's been a long time since I've updated this story. Sorry! I started watching Merlin and I got distracted. Anyways, in recompense, I'm going to update the next chapter as soon as I finish editing it. **


	11. Chapter 11

John was gone by the time Dean woke up the next morning. Sam was awake but staring blankly into his cereal. His eyes were glazed over, his eyes red and puffy. Dean felt terrible. He hated his father for making Sam feel like this.

"Hey, Sammy," Dean said, placing a hand gently on his shoulder to make sure that he hadn't fallen asleep with his eyes open, as he was known to do on occasion. Sam mumbled a quiet response and took a small bite from his bowl. Dean frowned but said nothing, knowing that he was likely to make it worse.

Dean managed to get Sam to drag himself into the 1967 Chevy Impala that had been Dean's since he got his license. He looked at Sam as they pulled out of the driveway and bit his lip. He needed to know what John had said to him.

"Sam, look. Whatever Dad said to make you feel like this, it doesn't matter. He doesn't understand. I see the way you are when you're with Gabriel. You're happy. And that's all I want you to be. So, screw whatever Dad said. He can go fuck himself for all I care." Sam looked at Dean, his eyes welling up with tears.

"I…" he closed his mouth and said nothing, but offered Dean a weak smile to show his thankfulness. Dean pulled to the side of the road and parked the car. He pulled Sam into a tight embrace. His brother let out a choked sob and grabbed Dean's jacket with his fists. Dean rocked his baby brother until the crying subsided.

"Look, we've got to go to school. I'm sure you want to see Gabriel, and I need to catch up on the classes that I missed." Sam nodded.

"Thanks, Dean," he said, sniffling his nose. Dean gave him a severe look.

"No chick flick moments," he said gruffly, knowing what would be coming next. Sam giggled and looked out the window.

At lunch, Dean ran into Castiel by his locker. Castiel looked at Dean with a disappointed look in his eyes. Dean didn't understand why he was being heralded in such away. Was it because of what his father had done the day before? Dean got the impression that Cas and Gabriel weren't very close, so what John had said to the latter wouldn't have impacted Castiel greatly. The old man hadn't said anything that was insulting to Castiel, so that wasn't the problem either.

"Hey, Cas," Dean greeted the other casually. "What's wrong?"

"You weren't supposed to be at school today," he said stiffly. "The doctor told you to take a few days off to rest." Realization dawned on Dean. Castiel didn't quite understand the way that Dean thought of doctors.

"I don't listen to doctors. They don't know me. They can't know what's good for me." Castiel's face did not portray understanding. Dean sighed. "No one can tell me what to do. I know how to take care of myself."

"Well, clearly you don't, or you would be at home resting right now. Did you take any painkillers this morning?" Dean averted his gaze. He felt like he should heed Castiel's words, even though he was saying things that went against the way Dean had lived his entire life.

Dean's silence was answer enough for Castiel. He tutted at his friend.

"It doesn't even hurt that much," Dean lied. It did hurt. It hurt like a bitch. But he couldn't afford to miss any more school and he couldn't bear to sit around at home doing nothing while Sam was potentially getting bullied. "Look, can we— son of a _bitch_!" Castiel had placed his finger gently on Dean's sensitive nose, causing Dean to flinch away from his friend and lean over as he tried to stem the pain as a mind over matter thing. Castiel gave Dean a haughty look and started walking away. Dean raced after him, still wincing from the pain that had been inflicted upon him.

"Dean, you are allowed to think about yourself once in a while. It won't be the end of the world if you sit back and relax." Dean shrugged, but noticed a gleam in Castiel's eye, like there was something that he wasn't saying.

"You're hiding something," Dean accused. "What is it that you're not telling me?" Castiel surveyed Dean carefully and gave the other a small smile.

"You remember that yesterday I told you I had a particular interest in keeping you out of harm's way and you asked me why?" Castiel asked. It might have been rhetorical, but Dean nodded anyway. "I cannot tell you for the same reason that I could not give you an answer for yesterday's problem."

"Your reason yesterday was that you didn't want to say. Now, this might just be me, but that's not a very good reason in my book." Castiel looked at Dean with an amused smile.

"You're right. It's not a very good reason. But I cannot tell you. Doing so could get us stuck here forever. Just trust me. Everything will turn out fine." Dean rolled his eyes.

"Whatever," he said, ignoring the crazy part of Castiel's reasoning. "Look, can I tell you something?"

"Of course," Castiel responded immediately. His face seemed so happy. Dean wondered if it was because no one had ever confided in him before, or if it was because Dean in particular was confiding in him. He hoped it was the second option, but he feared that it was the first.

"I'd prefer to do it away from prying ears. It's to do with sensitive material." Castiel nodded curtly.

"I know exactly where we can go. Follow me." So, Dean followed Castiel through the halls of the school and out the doors. They walked through the parking lot, across the soccer field, and finally stopped under the shade of a sycamore tree in a lonely corner a little ways off of the sidewalk.

"This place is perfect," Dean said, amazed. He was awestruck at the beauty of the place that Castiel had taken him. Beneath a single tree were soft petals that had clearly blown over from the flowers a couple feet away. There was a small statue within these flowers that Dean couldn't help but glance at every few seconds. He sat under the tree and patted the ground next to him as an invitation for Castiel. The other took him up on his offer and lowered himself onto the soft but itchy grass.

"What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?" Castiel asked of Dean once there had been an uncomfortable amount of silence between them. Dean bit his lip and glanced away.

"You need to understand that I don't quite understand this myself. I've done a lot of thinking, and I've decided that it's only you." Castiel didn't say anything right away. Dean looked away silently, afraid to say anything else and dig his hole even deeper. He wasn't even sure if Castiel swung that way, or if he even thought of Dean as any more than a friend.

"I'm not sure that I quite know what you're trying to tell me," Castiel said slowly. "What, exactly, is only me?" Dean though that the other's voice sounded almost hopeful. At least, that's what he told himself in order to get the next words out of his mouth instead of blushing, bumbling and backing away slowly.

"I think I like you, Cas," Dean said quietly. "But I don't like guys. I don't even like the idea of being with another guy… And yet here I am, telling another dude that I like him after having way too many erotic dreams about him." Dean stopped, then realized what he had said. "Oh, shit," he said, a furious blush upon his face. "I didn't mean to say that!" he buried his head in his hands and willed himself to vanish; to just disappear from the world forever.

"Dean," Castiel said gently, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. Dean didn't look up.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

"Dean. Trust me. I am not bothered by what you said. In fact, I am greatly pleased by it." Dean did look up this time. He stared at Castiel, his mouth hanging open like a fool. Castiel smiled, thinking the face endearing. "Why do you think I was following you around before all of this? I've liked you for quite some time, now, and I am currently restraining myself from 'jumping for joy', as I believe the term is." Dean narrowed his eyes and looked confusedly at Castiel.

"What the hell are you smoking? The way you talk, it's like you're not human. Like you're an alien who's just come down to Earth and doesn't quite understand our customs." Castiel laughed quietly.

"Right on one count, but not the other."

"What the hell are you—"

"All will be made clear soon enough."

Suddenly, there was a bright flash and the setting changed. Dean found himself in a sketchy motel room, the dark of night seen through the curtains. Castiel was standing beside him; Sam and Gabriel across the room.

"God damn it!" Dean yelled.

**As I promised, a new chapter. The next one is the last one, and I'll try to update that pretty soon. I hope you all have enjoyed this, I look forward to your reviews!**


	12. Chapter 12

"Freaking angels!" Dean yelled. He glowered at Cas and Gabriel, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Thank you, Gabriel, for finally ending it," Castiel said quietly into his brother's ear. "I know that you were scared, but this will be better. It will be real."

"Shut up, Cassie," Gabriel responded coldly. "You don't know anything about me. You don't know what I've been through." Castiel opened his mouth to reply but Dean cut across him angrily.

"What the hell is going on here? Why the hell were you messing with our heads again? Castiel, you promised that you wouldn't do that anymore!" Sam shot Dean a confused look, and the angel closer to Dean shook his head.

"It wasn't me. I made a promise, and I will keep it. Besides, I have no need to resort to other realities to get what I want from you. You give it to me willingly every night already." Dean blushed furiously but smiled at his angel, and Sam made a disgusted face, looking away towards Gabriel.

"So it was you, then?" he asked. "What was your endgame with this stupid little trick? For you and I to get together? Or for Dean and me to feel like shit because of the way you portrayed our father?" Gabriel raised a single eyebrow. With only that, Dean saw a bulge grow in his brother's pants.

"Aw, come on, guys!' he complained. "Get a room!" The question had been answered. Dean made a face at seeing his brother's erection and turned to Cas. "Make them leave!" he whined. "I don't want to see that!"

"I thought you wanted answers," Castiel said in the naïve way that was used when Castiel didn't understand human emotions or social constructs. Dean shook his head.

"I've already gotten as many answers as I need." Castiel still didn't seem to understand, so Dean looked up at him with smouldering eyes, "Get them out of here, and you and I can have our own fun." He winked at Castiel, who blushed severely. With one look from Castiel, Sam and Gabriel vanished from the room.

The remaining angel turned to Dean with the wicked grin that told him that Castiel was going to have his way with him that night. Dean grinned and all the blood in his body shot straight to his crotch. Castiel sauntered towards him, his hands swiftly unbuttoning his jeans. Dean attacked Castiel's lips with his own, drawing the angel's arms around his neck.

Dean smiled against Castiel's lips and grinded his hips against Castiel's. He felt the angel's erection come up as he pressed harder and harder. Castiel tilted his head back and groaned as Dean kept going, bucking his hips in pleasure until he decided to take back control of the situation.

Cas pulled down Dean's boxers, striking Dean to pull down Cas's pants. The hunter raised an eyebrow when Castiel's erection popped out immediately. Cas didn't give him a chance to say anything more, because he ripped Dean's shirt off of his chest and pushed him down onto the bed. As he climbed on after his lover, he stripped off his trench coat and all the layers underneath.

Dean tried to turn over and face his angel, but Castiel pushed him back down. He placed one hand on Dean's shoulder, where his own hand was still imprinted, and whispered seductively in his ear,

"I am going to ride you so hard that you won't be able to walk for a month."

Dean groaned and his dick started to leak precum. Castiel smiled maliciously and positioned himself behind Dean. There was no time to prepare his human. He was so horny that taking the time to do so was too much time lost, and he was going to do all that he could to make sure Dean felt it in the morning.

He pushed in slowly, groaning at Dean's tightness. He could hear Dean sucking in as he winced. He stopped, letting the other catch his breath.

"Keep going," Dean said breathlessly. "Don't stop!" And Castiel didn't.

He pushed all the way in, then pulled back out. Slowly, at first, then gradually faster. Faster, faster until the laws of motion were restraining him from moving any faster. He squeezed Dean's rock-hard dick, pumping it as he pumped himself on Dean.

"Harder!" Dean yelled, though Castiel could not push any harder. Dean wrapped his arm backwards, around Castiel and pushed him roughly onto himself. Castiel kept going, feeling himself nearing completion. Dean finished first. He thrust himself backwards onto Castiel's dick, the organ hitting his prostate with force. Pleasure rolled through him and he cried out.

Castiel didn't stop as Dean came. He pumped his fist harder, milking Dean for all he was worth and thrust harder into him. He didn't pull out as his own dick erupted, wanting to fill as much of Dean as possible. He screamed out Dean's name, biting down hard on his neck.

Castiel didn't pull out, even after both of them had finished. He lay on top of Dean, in a post-orgasmic haze. His eyes wandered to Dean's neck, and saw blood dripping down it. He felt bad, but couldn't apologize for such a mind-numbing orgasm as he had just experienced. Funny, how such a long time without Dean could do this to him. He gently wiped the blood off Dean's neck with his fingers and laid his head back down on Dean's shoulder, wondering how long he could stay inside of Dean before they had to move.

Not very long, it turned out. Dean pulled Castiel out of him and flipped the angel over onto his side. The hunter turned himself so that his crotch was by Castiel's face and Castiel's dick was in his mouth. He started dragging his tongue up and down Castiel's length, pausing briefly to loll with pleasure when his lover started to do the same.

They fed off each other, their rhythms finding synchrony as they began to suck. Dean moved his hand to fondle with Castiel's balls. Castiel's hand shot up right after him and cupped Dean's, squeezing them both tightly. They fondled and sucked and teased, both of them writhing with pleasure. Dean could taste Castiel's bitter precum on his tongue.

Wanting payback for Cas biting him earlier, Dean bit down on Castiel's penis. Not hard enough that it would be excruciating, just enough so that he felt it. Cas bucked against Dean's face, and Dean could do naught be reciprocate. He fucked Cas's mouth hard, as hard as he could while being pleasured so thoroughly himself.

When they came, they came together. At the same time, both of them released their loads into each other's mouths. Dean cleaned off Castiel with his tongue, Castiel with his soft, beautiful angel hands.

"I hope that this makes up for what Gabriel did to you," Cas said gently into Dean's ear when the hunter moved back into his spot on the bed and Castiel started to spoon him. Dean smiled softly.

"Baby, that makes up for everything he's ever done and anything he will ever do. That was amazing."

"I love you, Dean," Castiel said quietly, speaking as though there were others in the room and it was a secret for only the two of them.

"I love you too, Cas," Dean replied. They drifted off into a deep sleep, not waking even when Sam and Gabriel returned a few hours later – making no effort to be quiet – to find them spooning naked on a motel bed.

"I always thought there was something between them," Gabriel said thoughtfully as Sam turned away in horror at the sight of his naked brother. "Up for another round?"

**So this marks the end of the story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks to everybody who was following this and who reviewed it. I would love to know what you thought of the ending, so if you wouldn't mind dropping one final review, that would be lovely!**


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